Barkestone-le-Vale

Barkestone-le-Vale
Chapel Street, Barkestone-le-Vale
Barkestone-le-Vale is located in Leicestershire
Barkestone-le-Vale
Barkestone-le-Vale
Location within Leicestershire
OS grid referenceSK7834
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNOTTINGHAM
Postcode districtNG13
Dialling code01949
PoliceLeicestershire
FireLeicestershire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Leicestershire
52°53′N 0°50′W / 52.89°N 00.84°W / 52.89; -00.84

Barkestone-le-Vale is a village and (as just "Barkestone") a former civil parish, now in the parish of Redmile, in the Melton district, in the north east of Leicestershire, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 238.[1]

History

The name Barkestone means "farm/settlement of Bark".[2]

The village originated as a settlement in the 7th century. It features as a parish in the 1086 Domesday Book.[3] On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and merged with Redmile.[4]

Heritage

There are 120 dwellings in Barkestone-le-Vale. The village had a primary school, which was closed in the late 1980s, by which time it had only 11 pupils. The school building was converted for residential use,[5] as was the former mill house and a large derelict farmhouse.[citation needed]

Church of St Peter and St Paul, Barkestone-le-Vale

The Church of St Peter and St Paul is a listed building Grade II* dating mainly from the 14th century with 15th-century additions. Most of the windows are in the Perpendicular style of Gothic. Parts of the church were rebuilt in 1840 and the whole was restored in 1857.[6] The congregation belongs to the Vale of Belvoir group.[7]

A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1825, but not mentioned in gazetteers later in the century.[8] It closed for lack of support in 1927.[9]

Countryside

There are several footpaths serving the village, one of them linking it with Belvoir Castle. The rural countryside makes it suitable for bird-watching. Among the species seen round the village are the buzzard, the quail, and the reed and sedge warblers.[10][11]

The Grantham Canal, which opened in 1797, is no longer in commercial use. It passes to the north and west of the village, parallel with the disused railway.[12]

Public transport

The nearest railway station is Bottesford (5½ miles, 8.9 km) on the Nottingham to Grantham/Skegness line. Redmile railway station (1½ miles, 2.4 km), with trains between Melton Mowbray and Grantham or Newark-on-Trent, closed to passengers in 1951.

Barkestone is served by daytime buses between Bottesford and Melton Mowbray six times a day on Monday to Saturday.[13]

Amenities

There is a primary school in Redmile (1.6 miles, 2.6 km).[14] The nearest shops and a secondary school[15] are in Bottesford (4.8 miles, 7.7 km). The village pub, The Chequers, has become a bar and grill, open most evenings. Plungar (1 mile, 1.6 km) has the nearest traditional pub, The Anchor.[16] The local post office opens for only two hours a week.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Population statistics Barkestone AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  3. ^ http://www.barkestonelevale.com/main.htm Archived 6 February 2005 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 4 November 2007.
  4. ^ "Relationships and changes Barkestone AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  5. ^ "The Old School - Home". Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  6. ^ British listed buildings Retrieved 25 June 2017. Archived 11 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ A Church Near You Retrieved 25 June 2017. Archived 17 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Leicestershire History Retrieved 25 June 2017. Archived 9 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Barkestone Wood. Retrieved 22 November 2018". Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Canal bird life. Retrieved 22 November 2018". 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  12. ^ Canal & River Trust Retrieved 25 June 2017. Archived 11 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Bus timetable Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  14. ^ School site Retrieved 25 June 2017. Archived 27 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Belvoir High School Retrieved 25 June 2017. Archived 4 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ What Pub Retrieved 25 June 2017. Archived 11 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Post Office in Barkestone, Nottingham". Localmint. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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